The Note

W A S H I N G T O N, Jan. 30

Page 10 of 14

Sitting on the second campaign plane in two days (they get a third tomorrow), press gathered around the Clark senior campaign official as he spoke. The biggest question in light of the Dean campaign's financial problems is how much cash-on-hand The General's campaign has to date. According to the official, the campaign currently has approximately $3.5 to $4 million cash-on-hand and is in "good shape short term and long term." The official added that the campaign is "fully viable" financially and has an "active Internet program and direct response program" and an "excess of 55,000 contributors" to date.

As far as advertising is concerned in the Feb. 3 states, the campaign official explained that "earned media will become a lot more important than paid media." The campaign has made no decision on how much to spend in Missouri but makes assurances that a lot of money is being spent into the state. We "have a very active draft movement in Missouri," the campaign official said, adding that he "would expect that competing [in Missouri] involves The General's time and paid advertising." As of now, there are no scheduled events in Missouri for Gen. Clark.

To date, the Clark campaign has ads running on television in Arizona, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and Wisconsin. In Arizona, Oklahoma, South Carolina, North Dakota, and New Mexico, "Future" and "Believe" are on the air. Buys are as large as $410,000 (South Carolina), followed by Arizona with $375,000 and Oklahoma with $220,000. Tennessee has a $275,000 buy for "Major" and "Hope." Virginia airs the older ad "Secretary."

Read more from the trail with Clark on abcnews.com: LINK

General Clark addressed a Muslim group via videotape that is "under FBI investigation for terror ties," reports the New York Daily News LINK

USA Today's Kasindorf writes from Phoenix that "John Kerry's win in his native New England has acted like a desert downpour to restore clarity to Arizona's political atmosphere." LINK

Arizona:

The Arizona Republic's Pat Flannery writes that Latinos, veterans and senior citizens are being most heavily courted for their support in Tuesday's Arizona primary, and there's no one way to reach out to all of them.

"The only thing candidates can take for granted in Arizona, says state Democratic Party Executive Director Paul Hegarty, is the absence of a lone, powerful constituency that delivers political victories at will. And although it is tempting to see the state's large Hispanic, military and elderly voting blocs as monolithic, the reality is that they are as politically diverse as the rest of Arizona." LINK

The Arizona Republic's Judy Nichols and Paul Matthews take an interesting closer look at the way the candidates are wooing Hispanic voters. LINK

Missouri:

The Chicago Tribune asserts the complexities of Missouri, "Naturally skeptical and inclined toward ticket-splitting...'The threads that bind Missourians together are harder to weave than in other states...It's hard to find themes that unite Missouri.'" LINK